Change and Opportunity

This year’s CBI/Pertemps Network Group Employment Trends Survey highlights that firms are on track to create more jobs, adding to the UK’s record labour market performance.

The survey, carried out between August and September 2018 to 350 respondents employing around 1 million people, reveals that 45% of businesses across the UK expect to grow their workforce in the year ahead.

However, confidence is ebbing with nearly half of UK businesses (48%) saying that the UK has become a less attractive place to invest and do business over the past five years. Access to skills (83%), access to labour supply (60%), and labour costs (53%) are the main current threats to the UK’s labour market competitiveness according to business leaders.

The data also shows that businesses continue to recognise the importance of a diverse and inclusive workforce as important or vital to their future success (88%). It is encouraging to see that nearly all firms are taking action to reduce the gender pay gap (93%) and improve gender diversity at all levels of business (50%).

The employment trends survey is an annual survey that provides insight into labour market trends and business sentiment. The data gathered from the survey will help shape the CBI’s positioning on employment and labour market topics throughout 2019.